Sliding glass doors are often used as exterior doors in structures to allow ingress and egress to the structure while providing a strong weather seal against the elements. Typical sliding glass doors have a stationary panel and a sliding panel that slides along one side of the stationary panel to provide a functional opening for about half of the width of the door opening. Because one panel is stationary, the functional opening is limited to only one side of the door opening. Typically, sliding glass doors are used in openings between six and ten feet long. By pass doors may be used to cover larger openings, but are usually limited to operation on two tracks such that only one door panel can be positioned behind another. This limits the width of the functional opening of the door opening, although the open width can be located on either side (and sometimes in an intermediate area) of the door opening as opposed to sliding glass doors. Unlike sliding glass doors, bypass doors are typically not used for external applications as there is no ability to weather seal the panels.
Lift and slide doors are configured with singular or multiple panels and are used in architectural structures, primarily on exterior walls, to enclose an expanse, for example, openings of 4-48 feet. More importantly nearly all panels of lift and slide doors move to allow for such wide expanses to be completely opened to the exterior without any structural interference. The panels may bypass each other and be stored as a stack within a pocket at one or both sides of the opening or, in other configurations, may pivot at a location adjacent a lateral end to stack flat against a side wall defining the opening. The panels roll on bearings along a metal track recessed within the floor such that a very low bead extends very slightly above the surface of the floor. The top edges of the panels are retained within a track provided in the lintel of the opening.
When the door panels are in a closed position, the bases of the panels rest upon the floor and typically have a weather strip along a bottom edge to seal out water and drafts. Similarly, the lateral edges of the panels seal against each other. A channel in the base of the door receives the bead of the track. To open the door system, each panel is lifted off of the floor onto the track by moving a bearing structure into the channel within the panel base and engaging the exposed bead of the metal track. A mechanism in the door forces the bearing system downward with respect to the rest of the panel onto the metal track such that the panel is lifted off the floor and can slide along the track on the bearings. The panels are very heavy so significant leverage is required to force the bearing structure downward onto the track to raise the panel. Typically a handle or lever is used to actuate the bearing system in each panel through a linkage. The handle may be removable where the user engages the handle as a lever on each panel in succession, usually by connecting with the linkage and then rotating the handle 180 degrees to actuate the linkage and the bearing system for the panel. Alternatively, the handle is mounted to the door and the mechanism and the door typically will have a pocket cutout to allow for the projection of the handle or the panels must be stored in a staggered, partially open position to allow for the projection of the handles from the doors.
With a removable handle, a first panel is lifted off the floor and is resting on the track, the user removes the handle from the first panel and connects the handle to the next panel to similarly actuate it. Once the last panel is actuated, a user can move the first door along the track, bypassing the next adjacent panel. Typically, the panels are designed to connect with and collect each adjacent panel as the panels slide along the track. Conventional handle levers for these lift and slide doors stick outwards from the face of the panel when engaged. If the stack of panels is to be hidden within a pocket in the sidewall, the handle lever must be removed and stored somewhere for later use when closing the door panels. Further, if handles are attached permanently to any panel (except perhaps the end panel), the panels cannot slide past each other completely which would diminish the possibility for a hidden pocket door system.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention as defined in the claims is to be bound.